Portrait Drawing for the Ultimate Beginner: The Grid Method

The Grid Method

We have now arrived at the very last part of the lesson: The Grid Method. The grid method is used for creating realistic drawings from an image such as a photo or magazine. Now that you have a basic understanding of how to draw the entire face, including hair, this should not be difficult to do. I will show you step-by-step how to do the grid method. Remember, take your time and have fun! It’s not rocket science, it’s art. In art, there is no such thing as mistakes. Let’s get started.

Step 1

Below is an image of a male model from an old magazine. You can use any image of your choice. If you’re using a photo, it is recommended that you have a copy made of it because you’re going to be writing on it.

Step 2

Begin drawing grid lines vertically and horizontally as shown in the example. The size of the image will depend on the distance between the lines (the larger the image, the wider the distance should be). In this image my lines are a 1/2 inch apart. You should draw the lines between a 1/2 in. to 1 in. apart . Next, number & alphabetize the spaces.

Step 3

The image that I have is 4” by 4” inches. Whatever the size of your image, you are going to draw a frame that size along with the same grid lines. Below is an example:

Step 4

Now begin drawing your image according to each box in the grid. You’re going to draw each section 1-2 squares at a time. Also, lightly draw lines that indicate shadows & highlights.

This is the progress I’ve made so far.

Finish filling in the squares. You have the option of drawing in the background or not. As you can observe, I chose not to. I’m going to create my own background.

Step 5

Begin erasing the lines and leave a border. Do the best you can without erasing too much of your drawing. If you do, just go back and fill in the line as much as you can. If you can’t erase the lines 100%, it’s ok! As you can see, some of the lines in my drawing are still visible. They will disappear as you blend.

Step 6

Fill in your drawing with lights & darks according to the image and begin blending. Take your time with this, especially with the hair. Continue building tones and blend, blend, blend! If you’d like, you can do a ‘color by numbers’ format by numbering your image by section according to the grayscale. For example: the skin can be #2 and the shadows can range from #3-#5. I decided not to create a background & just leave it blank. The choice is yours to make whether you want to draw the background in the photo, create your own, or leave it blank.

You have now finished! You have learned to draw everything about the human face from its features, to placement of features, angles, lighting, and hair. We have covered a lot of material and you’ve worked very hard. If you ever develop interest in any other art forms such as fashion art/illustration, cartoon art, caricature, fantasy art, etc. this lesson should be of value to you. In order to explore any art forms where you draw people, you have to have a basic understanding of how to draw the human form (i.e., the body & the face). Please take your time with learning and going over this lesson. Use it as many times as you’d like, practice as many times as you need to, and have patience. I wish you continued success on your artful journey.